With striking black-and-white cinematography, an atmospheric soundtrack, and a compelling performance from Stuart Reid, The Man With the Silver Case proves that style and substance can go hand in hand. Colin Best delivers an impressive directorial debut that embraces its neo-noir influences while carving out an identity of its own, making him a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on.
by Nav Qateel
Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Colin Best, The Man With the Silver Case is a neo-noir indie thriller shot entirely in black-and-white to fantastic effect. Apparently the movie was shot over nineteen days in Switzerland in the snow with most of the cast wearing nothing but suits, and while they must have been freezing, they most certainly looked cool while doing it. I can imagine their reaction if Best was calling for just one more take during a long day of filming.
The Man With the Silver Case opens with some serious looking men on a helicopter and after shooting two of them, the third forces the pilot to hold steady as he slings on a parachute and jumps. What follows is a mysterious group covering its tracks and recruiting the nameless main character to carry a silver case from point A to point B and attempt to survive in the process.
Playing our main man is Brit Stuart Reid, who coincidentally worked on a game I particularly liked, The Order: 1886. As well as everyone trying to kill our nameless anti hero, he is also handcuffed to the case, which comes with its own set of problems and also leads to a scene at the end of the movie I found extremely funny, but spoil it I shall not. Reid really embodied the killer and played the part in a subtle, nuanced manner.
The choice of shooting in black-and-white was an interesting one and to my mind, the correct one, as it forces the audience to concentrate on the movie more, with less distractions. Moreover, and I’d argue more importantly, it looks cool as Hell. Coupled with the suits one can’t help but compare it to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs with shades of John Wick thrown in for good measure.
Cinematographer Jay Keitel was a large part of why this film looked amazing, but also helped the story along where the narrative was light due to much of the movie relying on atmosphere. Thanks to the lens finding nice angles and ways to enhance the dark and light contrast, I found myself continually heaping praise on Keitel.
The soundtrack was also wonderful, and having The Cure play A Forest during the second act sold that entire chase sequence for me. Colin Best hit this one out the park and has made me excited to see what the filmmaker intends to follow up with. The Man With the Silver Case is a slow burn thriller that draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
